Posts Tagged ‘Awareness’

The Way we should live but usually don’t. As Martial Artists we are supposed to be role models, we usually are not. Like so many we do things for selfish reasons. We miss the multitude of opportunities God sends our way to do those small (and big) things and improve the lives of our fellow man. Selfish. Any discipline requires some denial of the self, be it diet to lose weight or not watching TV so you can practice that kata or technique a few more times. If only we would apply that same sacrifice in our dealings with others. The noise of the modern world seduces us so we can ignore those small important acts of kindness and love which help us grow and find internal peace. What surprised me was the fact that it was a TVC Thai Life Insurance commercial/public service announcement that inspired me to reflect on this very fact…

This is an interesting interview with John Wayne, from 1975. It is interesting because what he says in directly applicable to current events. The Duke speaks to the tactics used by liberals then and still in use today. Yes, John Wayne is something of a hero for me. Yes, John Wayne wasn’t his real name; the audio is important for what he says, not necessarily who is saying it.

LANGUAGE WARNING, the audio contains some swears and curses that may not be appropriate for children.

The audio starts out with this quote… “Hell yes, I’m a liberal. I listen to both sides before I make up my mind. Doesn’t that make you a liberal? Not in today’s terms, it doesn’t. These days, you have to be a fucking left-wing radical to be a liberal. Politically, though … I’ve mellowed.”

Another great John Wayne quote:
“I’m quite sure that the concept of a Government-run reservation… seems to be what the socialists are working for now — to have everyone cared for from cradle to grave…. But you can’t whine and bellyache ’cause somebody else got a break and you didn’t, like those Indians are. We’ll all be on a reservation soon if the socialists keep subsidizing groups like them with our tax money.”- John Wayne

The audio is from TonyMacklin.net, the interview took place in 1975. The complete interview can be heard here.

Our actions have consequences and those consequences impact lives. I have seen families destroyed, friends dead, and crippled. Recently a friend was seriously injured as the result of someone else’s actions. Recovering from surgery his life may never be the way it was. Fortunately in this case no children were involved. Consequences impact lives, sometime those of innocent bystanders. This 1 minute video should give us all pause to reflect on the consequences of our actions.

Forget New Year resolutions, they don’t work for a litany of reasons. One of those reasons is you are taught through media and social engineering that you are OK the way you are. You are taught there is no ideal or perfect way or state of being. You are taught to be consumers not producers. Your kids are taught so too. There is a constant onslaught of relax, chill, you are fine, be happy with yourself, and a host of other new age bull crap messages. We are taught to look outward not inward. Not feeling well, buy something! Where is the proof? If you need proof you are blind, but here is a graphic of the average American that demonstrates what I am talking about:

What was once uncommon has become common. What was once sought after is now shunned. We have let ourselves be led to an instant gratification society, we don’t want to work, we want it now, no pain, no sweat, no effort. I see this every week no matter where I go.

This pertains to the Martial Arts because people don’t earn their belts anymore, they buy them (with rare exceptions). The funny thing is they don’t even know they are doing it, buying their advancement. Most Martial Arts schools know that in order for students to “stick” with their training, they have to keep them interested because if success doesn’t come quickly it will be abandon as too hard.

Today everyone gets a trophy! There is no First place…it is disgusting. The sad part is it is pervasive in every aspect of our society and like any cancer it is spreading. The only solution is to push back, to push a culture of success and failure, to stress the importance of hard work and sweat, personal reflection and improvement. Our greatest competitor should be ourselves, but that takes honesty, did you give it your all? Was that your best? No excuses, excuses are the slippery slope to mediocrity.

Think you know what the 2nd amendment is for, think the world safe, think you know what you are talking about? Invest 7 minutes, watch the video and perhaps you will be able to answer these questions honestly. Or you can remain blind and deceived by the lord of lies and his minions…

IF only our citizens would elect someone with this much honesty and fortitude. Alas we would rather elect a celebrity than a leader or statesman. How blind are ‘we the people’ that we continue to be so short sighted…

I wish I had more time to write on this topic as I (like most people) could write volumes of intelligent articles to battle the emotional response under-informed citizens seem caught up in. Since I don’t have a ton of spare time right now I wanted to share this video that covers all the major bases and mentions my home state, Connecticut!

Enjoy and please post your comments and opinions here so we can have a conversation or flame war, your choice 😉

I almost didn’t share this because of how traumatic it is, but the potential to raise everyone’s safety awareness out weighs the uncomfortableness of the video. To often we joke about the Darwin Award winners, when in reality each of them could have been one of us, caught in a perfect storm of situation, and not thinking things through. Hopefully this video will give everyone pause and help them to remember, safety first, even when things seem safe and you seem in control. The video speaks for itself so I won’t beat a dead horse (perhaps not the best choice of words but it fits).

I’ve remained silent for a while now, out of respect for the dead and because I don’t like exploiting situations like this. Unfortunately those who support gun control have no problem sensationalizing, over reporting, and frankly traumatizing the public with stories like these. They have been at it for years, they will be at it for years to come. Who wants gun control? The uninformed and those who do not like the idea that you may be able to stand against the things they believe in. Fascists, communists, socialists and progressives like gun control, history teaches us this. Unfortunately we are living in a period of history where we (the collective we) have forgotten the lessons of history and begun to believe that we are better than our predecessors, more civilized. These people think things turn bad quickly with easy to spot signs. History teaches us differently. From antiquity the story always plays out the same and unfortunately it always has the same ending, death and enslavement. There are many different forms of slavery, they all begin with fear. Guns level the playing field. The age old mantra of gun control proponents is that if we have no guns society will be a a safer place. Reality could not be further from that belief.

Let us say that we could in fact remove ALL of the guns from society, including those that the criminals have. That would be utopia, no? I mean crime would go down, no more crazy people shooting up schools and theatres and such…right? Wrong. So the criminals are disarmed does that mean they will suddenly become law abiding citizens? No it does not. But now they have the advantage. How? Well guns have an equalizing effect on society. You see a 70 year old man being attacked by a 20-30 year old attacker is going to lose in 99% of the cases. What choice do the defenseless (the children, the seniors, the women, the weak, the timid) have but to submit under gun control? NONE. Think about the defenseless group of “the weak” for a moment, that group might include a 6 foot 5 inch man who weighs 300 pounds, if he is confronted by 4-5 thugs with baseball bats. The defenseless become anyone who is a law abiding citizen. The criminals know this, the police know this, the politicians know this, they are banking on the fact that you won’t realize this.

Facts. People who want gun control HATE FACTS. They are emotional beings not willing to admit that bad things happen and life is often unfair and cut short. They do not want to solve the problem, they want to feel better. Unfortunately for them, only after we loose our freedom with they realize their mistake. Anyone who ignores all facts and rationalizes away anything that conflicts with their ideas, is probably… well probably suffering from some sort of insanity. I know that will make some cringe, but that is part of the problem. Evil relies on the fact that “good”, nice people are willing to try to find compromise. Good people do not compromise when the facts are on their side. If they did, we would be drinking a lot more tea today!

Now that I have said most of my peace, I want to share a few videos that present a few different perspectives and some clarity on several issue I have not touched on.

Let’s start with the facts about the current gun control move, a decent presentation without the sensationalized coverage:

Next let’s look at the facts and a case study of a country, not unlike America, that has implemented gun control, Australia. How has that been working out for them? See for yourself:

Let’s see what Ice-T had to say about gun control after the 2012 shooting in Denver, CO.

I’ve already liked Ice-T, not necessarily a fan of his music but he is now one of my favorite people in Hollywood!

And of course probably my favorite, because it spoofs what the left wants but isn’t willing to do, live now be the rules they want to impose on all of us. I think those in favor of Gun Control should implement this in their work and home immediately. They could even label their cars!! That would show how much support there is for gun control! Take a look:

And the real reason we MUST fight Gun Control, to defend our liberty and our freedom. Don’t believe it is possible:

For those not willing to understand history and not willing to look around the world with their eyes wide open, Gun Control may seem like a good idea. To the rest of us, we understand that America is the last stand of freedom in the world, the last protector of liberty.